Crawford Jail gets booking system upgrade

November 19, 2008The Crawford County Jail has taken another step toward becoming a more technologically advanced facility with the implementation of a new program called DSI Evolution Lite Booking System, which will help the jail send and receive information on inmates during the booking process, and improve overall data management at the jail.

The system, which was paid for by a VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) grant, cost Crawford County taxpayers nothing, but will be an important Web-based tool in the sharing of information with other counties and police agencies across the state.

"We're actually the first in the country to use the new 2.5 version of the program," Chief Deputy Sheriff Andy Beals said. "This system, which normally costs between $80, 000 to $120,000, will cut down tremendously on paperwork and will enable us to keep more accurate records, and to share that with 48 states.

"We can now download inmate photos, tattoos and other identifying marks when we book them into the jail and can send the information to other agencies. We don't even need hard copies of photos now. It's fairly easy to use — some of our people, including Dave Schotter, one of our corrections officers, have been trained on the program and others will be trained as soon as possible," he said.

"The sheriff worked hard to get this program and it's going to be a positive addition to the jail booking process."

The program can be accessed from other computers, so officers on the road can use their laptops to tap into the system while on patrol or while at home.

"That's a nice thing about the system," Beals said. "Yet, it is extremely secure. It takes the right series of passwords to get into it."

The Evolution Lite System stores inmate custody history, guides users through the process of entering inmate data, and has features to help with inmates who use an alias name and for alerts, detainers, clothing and property and physical and social characteristics. The system also tracks inmate housing history when they are moved within the facility or into temporary housing. It also alerts users of detainers/holds, property or bonds during a pre-release check and captures and stores inmate release information.

The system also contains a set of standard data reports, including inmate commitment summary reports, temporary release history report, inmate risk management reports, inner facility movement reports and destroyed property reports. It also allows tracking of prescriptions, dosages and quantities of inmate medications and provides for victim notification.

"It's really a good, secure system," Beals said. "The information is entered into the system as soon as we book an inmate into the jail, and it won't let you go to another page until everything is correct. The system even knows the layout of our jail and is designed around it. It is also monitored seven days a week, 24 hours a day and alerts us immediately on important information."